September 17, 2007

From SATA-Peru-2007

My mind is still reeling from the revelation that in Quechua there is no word for "easy." On Friday we learned that the Quechua word for difficult is "sasa" and for "easy" there exists no word. In the life of an Incan, nothing is easy. We experienced some of this "uneasiness" on Saturday when we helped with the construction of a well. I´m still sore today, and I think I might just give in to one of the "masajes" being offered on just about every street corner here in Cusco.

Today we resumed classes, and I was glad to have my Spanish teacher back in class today. (She was out for 2 days due to illness.)I wasn´t glad to hear that we´ll be having an exam on Friday, but I think that we´re all adequately prepared. I need to learn to like talking more, especially in Spanish, because I figure it might just help to improve my fluency.

After classes and lunch, a few of us headed out on a mini adventure. We bought a few necessities, and did a little bit of exploration. We happened upon a "Centro Comercio" which sold stuff like electronics, watches, shoes, and backpacks. We looked around a little, Cara made a purchase and we headed back to Tullumayo Ave. We made a pit stop at an ice cream store on Avenida Sol. Amazing. The samples are double time. For example, when I asked to sample the Passion Fruit ice cream, the lady dipped up the Passion Fruit on one end of the stick and Guava on the other. I was nearly full just sampling the ice cream! But where there´s a will there´s a way. For 2.50 soles, I was able to purchase a scoop of Passion Fruit and a scoop of Chirimoya ice cream in a cone. ¡Delicioso! I forgot exactly which flavors Cara and Emily got, but among the two I think there was chocolate, toffee, and one other flavor. Later I saw a man and his daughter order an ice cream and cheesecake, and then, I knew for sure, that this store would become my own personal landmark in Cusco.

After the ice cream store we returned to the hotel, and went to our quechua class about an hour later. I must say that even in the second week, our class is still fun, and we have an amazing profesora: Gina. Q´omer is the Quechua word for green, just in case u hear that word repeatedly in the future. Today we learned colors. I think it´s amazing that we have the opportunity to learn Quechua while we´re here, from someone whose native language is Quechua nonetheless. It is nice to practice Spanish here too, but from the moment you speak in Quechua to a Quechua speaking person, it´s as if their whole attitude changes. Their faces light up, and the receive you with so much pride and joy, it seems. This experience continues to be great, and we learn so much in and out of the classroom. Tomorrow I plan on returning to the market where we made some Quechua speaking friends. Tupunanchiskama (Quechua for "See you some other time.")

September 16, 2007 September 18, 2007